From the Sublime to Serious. One Person’s Opinion…

Archive for August, 2007

Did you hear about the student George Hotz, 17, Glen Rock, New Jersey who was awarded “Best of Category” and received a $5,000 Intel scholarship and an Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology-based notebook?

He spent the summer trying to successfully unlock the iPhoneHotz runs a blog and you can find all the information on how-to there.

In the picture (right), Hotz was a 2005 – Intel ISEF finalist when he was 15 and showed off his project titled, “The Googler”.

ISEF is sponsored by Intel and has been administered by Science Service since its inception in 1950. Science Service is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and appreciation of science among people of all ages.

After Hotz unlocked the iPhone he put it up on eBay and was getting a lot of bids over $10K.However this morning on his blog site he states the iPhone has been traded.It seems that Terry Daidone, the founder of Certicell contacted Hotz and offered to make a trade for the iPhone. Hotz traded it for a Nissan 350Z and three 8GB iPhones. Hotz is sending the iPhones, unlocked if they wish, to jpetrie(the first donater), gray(the reversing genius), and iProof(who is truly amazing at finding stuff online).

Hotz left for school yesterday, presumably going fast in a 350Z…don’t all 17 year olds drive fast?! Sort of beats my “What I did this summer?” story…

In May I attended a work function dinner up at Timberline Lodge. Upon arrival in the lodge parking lot it was clear that a film crew was in the middle of prepping and filming a movie. Not thinking much about it I walked around a bit and chatted with a couple ‘grips’ asking questions about what video editing software was being used, what camera’s, was it in hi-def, and then chatted with a couple girls that were stand in’s for the big “star”. I remember the weather being cold and they were standing with latte in hand shivering. At any rate, I’m just now getting around to looking up the details on the film.

Tom Noonan has just joined the cast of Follow the Profit. According to Variety, Robert Chimento, Diane Venora, David Conrad, Annie Burgstede, R.D. Call and Jonathan Frakes will also be starring in the independent drama.

The film revolves around an ex-Delta Force soldier who goes on a mission to save a group of abused youngsters. The impressionable kids are stuck in the clutches of an evil religious organization. Sounds like a yawn’er…,but I’ll go see it because I was there during some ‘B’ roll at the lodge.